Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

---

Dealerships are sitting on millions of unsold cars while manufacturers quietly move to cut them out of the system.

BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Stellantis — they’re all shifting to direct-to-consumer models. Fewer commissions. Less dealer control. More subscriptions.

This isn’t just about inventory. It’s about ownership.

Once the dealer disappears, manufacturers control everything: pricing, servicing, software, data, and monthly features.

So is the end of dealerships actually good for buyers… or is something bigger happening?

⸻